Context
• PNG currently has a Gender Inequality Index score of 0.71, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region
• Around two thirds of PNG women report experience of gender-based violence (GBV) in their lifetime.
• GBV is seen as a social norm – 69.8% of PNG women consider a husband justified in beating his wife
• CMT workshops were developed by PNG women and are run by female PNG coordinators
Aim
• Support rural communities in the New Ireland Province of PNG to address the problem of gender inequity which results in family violence, mistreatment of children and a lack of reproductive rights and access to health care by women.
• Train community leaders and inform rural community members on Gender Equity (GE), PNG violence laws and consequences, and the impact of gender inequity on family and community life.
• Conduct Community Mobilisation Training (CMT) workshops with male and female community leaders (such as magistrates, ward councillors, village chiefs, youth leaders, police) to identify and learn about gender issues in their communities.
• Educate leaders on gender roles, stereotypes, discrimination & injustice, gender-based violence, family violence laws and policies, child protection and rights, and disability rights and inclusion.
• Help communities develop Community Action Plans that address local issues and challenge traditional stereotypes that disempower women.
• Integrate GE awareness training to village members in all ADI health outreach patrols to rural area
•Increased community understanding of gender issues and how gender inequity impacts on family planning, children, community leadership and access to healthcare
•Increased community harmony due to increased understanding of equality and inclusion
•Greater access for women and children to health services and reproductive rights
•More women in leadership roles in their community
•Stronger and more effective community leadership due to increased knowledge of national laws and human rights
•Equipped and trained leaders, magistrates, pastors, ward councillors, and village chiefs empowered to mobilise as gender and human rights advocates
•More women in leadership roles in their community
•A decrease in cases of GBV due to an increased awareness of GBV laws and reporting systems
•A local agenda set by trained leaders and supported by ADI to improve gender equity in their community
•Address gender norms and improve women’s wellbeing by targeting male leaders (male leaders make up 63% of participants in the current program)
Methods:
•Pre- and post-evaluation surveys completed by the 30 community leaders attending each CMT training workshop. This measures changes in leaders’ knowledge of gender equity and human rights issues.
•Community Action Plans developed by community leaders at each training workshop are followed up after the training to monitor actions taken and support further implementations of the plan.
•A personal reflection is completed by each trained community leader and followed up later to determine what actions they personally have taken to improve gender equity in their family and community.
•The number of community members in remote villages who receive gender awareness training during ADI outreach patrols is recorded.
•Reports are generated and shared with relevant stakeholders
•Continuous engagement with key PNG Provincial Government partners and elected Ward Members to ensure ongoing local ownerships and investment in addressing the GE agenda in each community
•Data is used to monitor and assess the value and effectiveness of our GE program as well as for continuous quality improvement.
Impact:
•301 leaders educated through CMT since 2019
•122 hours of training delivered to 20,085 community members by a GE Officer on health patrols
•95% of participants reported confidence to advocate on family violence, GE, child abuse and disability inclusion (2020 pre- & post-CMT surveys)
•Implementation of Community Action in 37 villages across 11 wards in Namatanai District
It is what the MCC groups are all about: men being accountable for learning about and responding to inequality and, importantly, supporting women who have been leading the charge for decades. Like many men, I am a newcomer to these issues and am learning as I go.
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